


It's All in the Family

by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs



Series: Walker OT3 [2]
Category: Walker (TV 2021)
Genre: Coming Out, Confessions, Cordell Walker is a Person, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Issues, Gen, Supportive Liam Walker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:28:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29749845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs
Summary: Cordell really wants this relationship with Trey and Micki, but there's some work to do before they can be a throuple:1) August and Stella must approve2) Liam must have the opportunity to know he was right3) He's gotta tell Momma and Daddy
Relationships: Abeline Walker & Cordell Walker, August Walker & Cordell Walker (Walker TV 2021), Background Trey Barnett/Micki Ramirez/Cordell Walker, Bonham Walker & Cordell Walker, Cordell Walker & Liam Walker, Cordell Walker & Stella Walker
Series: Walker OT3 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163609
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	1. The Kids

Stella watched her dad make dinner from her seat on the couch. She was supposed to be watching a movie with August but she couldn’t make herself pay attention. First of all, the movie wasn’t all that interesting. Secondly, she could tell their dad had something on his mind. He’d been distracted since he picked them up from school. That wasn’t unusual in itself but it seemed different than usual; he wasn’t mulling over a case at work, it was more personal than that. Call it a hunch.

“I can hear you thinking,” August muttered. “What’s up?”

She bit her lip. “Does Dad seem...weird to you tonight?”

August shrugged. “Not any weirder than usual. Why do you ask?”

“I dunno. He just seems a little cagey today. Like there’s something going on and he doesn’t know how to tell us.”

They peeked over the back of the couch as if there might be some answer now that hadn’t been obvious for the last few hours. Nothing appeared different; he still had that same distant look as he moved around the kitchen almost on autopilot. There was something off. But what?

"Maybe we can just ask him after dinner," August suggested. 

"Maybe…." Part of her felt like going over there now but maybe they shouldn't push. Dad would tell them when he was ready, right? Plus, he was making mac‘n'cheese tonight; wouldn't want to risk burning it. This was gonna be an awkward dinner as it was; better to eat something that actually tastes good.

\------------

Now that Stella had pointed out their dad’s weird behavior, August couldn’t stop noticing it. He was really quiet during dinner instead of asking them questions about school and friends. He did all the dishes himself instead of wrangling one of them into drying. He didn’t even say anything when they went upstairs almost immediately after dinner; usually he’d try to have one more family thing before bed.

Disturbing the routine was almost more annoying than the routine itself.

“Yeah, something’s definitely up,” he said once they were out of earshot.

“Duh. But what? There’s nothing crazy going on at work or he would’ve said something and neither of us has any school things coming up….”

They sat on his bed, pondering the possibilities. “Maybe he’s just having an off day,” he suggested. “Or maybe Trey told him a joke and he hasn’t figured it out yet. You know how he gets.”

Stella shook her head. “No, I don’t think that’s it. He never lets us get out of dish duty and he didn’t even try to rope us into a movie night. He’s just been so quiet since he picked us up….”

August knew she was right. Family time had become a big thing in their house since Mom died and now that they were settled into a routine, he’d only break it if it was a big deal. But what constituted a big deal in this case? And why wasn’t he telling them anything? He’d gotten so much better about being open and talking with them lately. The idea that he might be hiding something from them was bothersome.

They spent a few more minutes in contemplative silence before the sound of their dad’s shoes on the stairs floated up to them. In moments, he was standing in the doorway, looking small despite his large frame. “Hey, guys.”

“Hey.”

“Sup.”

Dad sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay, I’ve been trying to think of a good way to say this all day and I’ve got zero ideas so…here goes I guess.”

That wasn’t good.

“I…. I’ve been thinking about dating again.”

He felt Stella stiffen next to him on the bed. This wasn’t going to go well.

“I know that probably doesn’t make you want to jump for joy or anything but….” He sighed again. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately and I wasn’t going to do anything yet but…. I’ve been...propositioned I guess?”

August fixed his gaze on his dad’s shoulder. He wasn’t really sure how he felt about this.

“Someone asked me out and...I’d really like to go for it. But I thought I’d talk to you first.”

On the one hand, he was happy for his dad. Even if he was doing well now, it hadn’t been an easy journey. Mom’s death had been hard on all of them for different reasons. Losing a mom had been hard enough; he couldn’t imagine how it must feel to lose the love of your life, someone you’d built a life and a family with. It made sense that Dad would want to try and experience that again.

“You guys are always my first priority. I wouldn’t want to hurt you or make you uncomfortable.”

On the other hand, the idea of some other person coming in and messing up their carefully constructed dynamic felt wrong. They were doing fine, but it had been a rocky road to get here and honestly it still felt a little unstable some days. They didn’t need to bring in some other woman who’d probably either want nothing to do with them or try to force herself into the Mom role. Things were good the way they were. Why did that have to change?

“Who is she?” Stella’s voice was relatively calm compared to whatever was likely going on in her head. “Who decided to ask you out?”

Dad bit his lip. “....I...before I answer that I should probably tell you that I’m bisexual. It never really came up until now so I didn’t say anything.”

Okay so some guy was gonna horn in on their careful dynamic. Wonderful.

“Okay then. Who is  _ he _ ?”

“Well….” Dad rubbed a hand over his face. “I…. It’sTreyandMicki.”

“What?”

It took August a few seconds to register that he was the one who spoke this time. Give him a break, he was in shock. “Trey  _ and _ Micki asked you out?”

“Yeah, I don’t get it either,” Dad tried to joke with a smile weaker than his laugh. “Look, I know it’s a lot to digest-"

"Yeah, it is," Stella interjected. "Why didn't you mention you wanted to date before?"

"Stella-"

And why Micki and Trey? Is that a good idea?"

"Stella, I-"

"Have you talked to anyone else about this?"

"Would you let him talk?" August snapped. "You can't expect him to answer your questions if you don't give him a minute!"

The room fell into silence. None of them really knew what to say. Stella seemed to be deflating, August was conflicted and Dad…. He just looked lost.

Well. This was just great.

"I'm not trying to replace her." It was said so quietly, August wasn't entirely sure he'd heard. 

"No one could ever replace your mother. She's one of the best people I've ever known. I loved her when she was here and I'll never really stop." He took a shuddering breath, eyes shining in the dim light of the room. 

"I've come to terms with her death, but that doesn't mean I'm just moving on. I just…. I'm not just your father; I'm also a person. I'm a person that has struggles and problems and needs. This...thing with Micki and Trey is filling one of those needs. 

"I knew this wouldn't be easy. That's why I wanted to talk to you first. I didn't want to just throw this at you. If you aren't okay with it, I understand. I can just-"

August clenched his fists. "Wait." They both turned to look at him. "Maybe it would be better if we had a chance to talk to them? See if we can make it work?"

"I can ask them. I'm sure they'd be up for it."

Stella nodded. She still looked conflicted but maybe this would make it easier on her. 

On all of them.

\--------------

Saturday night.

_ The _ night.

What should she wear? What should she say? How many questions could she ask before it was rude? What kinds of questions should she even ask? Did she have to ask questions? Would they be asking  _ her _ ? 

This seemed less and less like a good idea by the minute.

But she had to try. She owed her dad that much. If embarking on this new relationship would make him happy, then she should be able to let him do that. Isn’t that what a good daughter would do?

But it seemed so soon. Mom had only died two years ago and the first year of that was an absolute shitshow. Sure, she’d grieved and come to terms with everything, even did a little grief counseling at Uncle Liam’s advice. But was she ready for Dad to start dating again?

It’s not like she expected him to never date anyone ever again. But she’d mostly assumed he wouldn’t even entertain the idea until after she and August were off on their own lives. They were his kids, after all; shouldn’t they be enough? Why did he need this so badly?

She shook her head and checked her hair again. Dad said if she and August weren’t on board then he wouldn’t go through with it and she trusted him. This dinner was a trial run. She could pull the plug any time she wanted. She wasn’t the one being tested, Trey and Micki were. 

She could do this.

A soft knock on her door knocked her out of her spiral. "You okay in here, butterbean?"

"I'm not sick anymore, you can't get away with that." She turned away from the mirror with a small smile. "I'm fine. Just...a little nervous."

"I know. I am too. But it'll be okay.” He smiled and pulled her into a hug. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

\------

Stella and August sat on the couch, waiting for their dad to finish saying goodbye to their guests. The dinner had been nice, if a little tense. The conversation flowed well; no one was sidelined and Trey and Micki seemed to make a genuine effort to get to know them a little better. And they were pretty sure their dad hadn’t stopped smiling the whole evening.

Overall, it was a good time.

  
  


But was it good enough?

Dad sat on the couch next to them. He didn’t say anything but his silent question was palpable.

“I like them.”

“Me too.”

He smiled.


	2. The Brother

Liam was surprised to see Cordell arriving on time for their lunch renovations. That hardly ever happened. Which probably meant…. “So what do you need to tell me?” he asked as they sat down.

Cordell scoffed in mock offense. “You give me shit about showing up late and when I turn up on time you get all suspicious? Maybe I just looked at the clock a little earlier today.”

“Right. Because that’s something you would do.” Liam sighed and shook his head. “I’m a lawyer, remember? Can’t fool me that easy,” he said with slight humor in his voice. “Come on, tell me what’s up.”

Cordell let out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, I still say I don’t need a reason to talk to you to be punctual. But I do have news. This is just a coincidence.”

“Right. I totally believe you.” He did not believe him for a second. “Now tell me what’s up.”

“Right.” Cordell cleared his throat. “Well, remember a couple of weeks ago when we talked about my, uh, feelings for my friends?”

“The ones that I told you you were being dumb about?” He smirked. “Vaguely.” 

“Right. Well…. I will concede that you did have a point during that discussion. I might have been being overly cautious but I maintain that I had some reason to be concerned.”

Wait...did that mean…. “So you finally quit being an idiot and confessed?”

“Sort of….” Cordell rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I might’ve gotten a little drunk and said something when my inhibitions were lowered. And then they might’ve made me breakfast the next morning and explained their side of things. And you were right.”

Liam sighed dramatically. “When are you going to learn to listen to me? I didn’t get through law school just by my good looks.”

“No. If I remember correctly, you got through it all by arguing with almost every professor and TA that had the misfortune of grading one of your papers.”

“You never can just admit that I’m right can you?”

“Hey, you brought it up. I’m just clearing up the story.”

“You’re horrible.”

“I know.”


	3. A Parent's Love

Abby hummed softly as she moved around the kitchen. Family dinner wouldn’t be for a few hours yet but everyone appreciates a well-prepared meal and if she waited much longer to start, something would go wrong and it’d be a tough save. Bonham was in the next room going over the finances. Everything was going as it should be.

“Momma? Daddy?”

Cordell? What was he doing here so early? “Cordi? Aren’t you supposed to be at work? Did something happen?”

Cordell smiled and shook his head. “No, Momma, everything’s fine. I just had the day off and I wanted to see you. Is Dad in?”

She smiled and pulled him into a hug. “He’s just in the other room. What’s up? No offense but you hardly ever come by just because.”

Cordell rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and found sudden interest in the kitchen counter. “I just have something I want to talk about. It’s… It’s important and I can’t not tell you about it so… yeah I figured I’d just come talk to you now when it’s just us instead of waiting until the last minute and having something go wrong because I didn’t say anything sooner.”

Well, that was foreboding. “Honey, you know you can tell us anything, right?”

“Yeah, I know. This is just...different from the stuff that I normally have to tell you.”

And that did not make it better. “Alright. Let me get him and we can have whatever talk you think is so important.”

\-----------

Family talks were never easy. But they were almost always necessary.

At least, that’s what Abby tried to tell Bonham. Unfortunately, he was as stubborn as his children when he felt like it. But she did get him out and now she, him, and Cordell were sitting around the kitchen island with cups of coffee. “So, Cordi, what did you want to tell us?”

He slowly sipped his drink, taking his sweet time before getting to the point. “Well, I guess the first thing to say is…I’m bisexual. I know I never said anything before and that's absolutely not an issue with you guys; it just never seemed important. I never really told anyone until recently." 

"Well I'm glad you know you can trust us with this. But that's not really what you came here to tell us, is it?" Cordell's interest in the wood grain of the countertop told her she was right. 

"Out with it, Cord. Some of us have chores to do." Bonham always eas the direct one. 

Their son nodded, briefly glancing up at them before continuing. "I've decided to start dating again. Or, well, I've  _ started _ dating again. It's still in the early stages but I already cleared it with Stella and August and I told Liam at lunch so I figured I'd tell you before it was time to give out invitations to family dinner." He let out a nervous chuckle at the end.

Well, that's not what she'd been expecting. Not that she expected him to never date again but it had only been a couple of years. But if he felt it was the right time…. "Well, I'm glad you feel good enough to get back out there. Are we going to get to meet her? Or him?" 

And Cordell was inspecting the wood grain again. "If you want to…. There's just one more thing…."

"Should've packed a lunch for this," Bonham murmured. "What else do we need to know? Is it another grandkid?"

Cordell nearly spit out his coffee. "No! No, no, no, no. Definitely not it. Nope. Not even a little. We haven't even...done...that." 

"Well, not that we would mind that, but what is it? You know we support you no matter what, right?" She smiled kindly, giving his hand a little squeeze.

"I know, Momma. It's just…." He bit his lip nervously. "This is different."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not that bad."

Cordell nodded but still seemed unsure. "You remember Micki and Trey, right?"

"Yes, your partner and her boyfriend. But what does this have to do with them?" It would be very out of character for her Cordi to be in some couple drama. 

"Well…. We're dating. All three of us. We're in a polyamorous relationship. They asked me out a few weeks ago when they took me out for drinks after I was sick. And I'd been having these feelings for a while so I decided to go for it. I cleared it with Stella and August first. I know it's not normal, especially not for me and I don't understand it all myself just yet but it just feels right. It's hard to explain and I don't expect you to be fully on board right away but this is something I feel really good about." He spoke fast, like he had to get it all out or he never would and if he stopped for breath he'd never speak again.

Well. That was...a lot to process. She had so many questions and she was sure Bonham had some too. She wasn't even sure where to begin.

But…. Her son was looking at them, waiting for something. He looked half-scared to death, like he expected them to throw him out and order him to never come back. But there was hope there too. Maybe…. Maybe there were some things that she didn't have to understand, just accept.

Meeting Bonham's eyes, she could tell he was thinking the same.

"Well…. You just let me know when I need to make a couple of extra servings for dinner, okay?" 

His answering smile told her everything she needed to know. She didn't have to understand her son to love him.


End file.
